Bees

[Elaine]

Was watching the paul O'Grady show this evening, they were saying that britain has lost a third of its bees:shock: They dont know if its b ecause of disease or not but it will have a very big knock on effect on Brittish produce such as apples, broccoli etc, oh not to mention honey.

[Moli]

I saw a news report a while back about it....

[dandysmom]

Same here in the States, Elaine. They are just abandoning their hives and vanishing. Going to have a big impact on agriculture.....You do wonder if all the insecticides and pesticides used in modern farming have something to do with it.

[angieh]

It's a dreadful shame. Everything is against the poor bees this year, including a parasite and a cold summer -

http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSTRE4AP08Z20081126

(I don't get paid by Reuters btw!!!)

[dinahsmum]

This is potentially a huge problem
Let's hope we have decent, 'normal' weather for a few years and the numbers build up again. I'm sure they have the potential to increase hugely and quickly if the circumstances are right.

[yola]

A very sad report. I heard it towards the tail end of summer too. I think it's a combination of factors; changes in farming styles/produce farmed and changes in temperature/climate overall. Whatever happens I hope the balance is restored, because apart from thinking bees are lovely their demise will have a very negative impact on our indigenous fruit, vegetable and flower stocks.

[Elaine]

How easy would it be to keep a bee hive do you think? Apparently we can help by doing this and thought it might be worth looking into.

[angieh]

There USED to be local beekeepers' groups all over the place. Perhaps there still are - I remember going out to visit some hives with a local group when I was much younger. I wanted to keep hives then, but I was living at home and my parents wouldn't allow it.

I think I may see if there is a group local to the area I live in now.

[dinahsmum]

Not terribly apparently Elaine.

Do you live in an area where you might 'host' a hive or two? Find a friendly beekeeper and offer to let the hive stay on your place? I'm going to suggest we do it at the allotments.
You need quite a lot of land because the bees can't do vertical take off & landing very well, so they need a good area for their 'glide path', apparently. Amazing what you hear on the radio - and I repeat my plea, why can I rememeber things like that but not my sister's phone number?

[angieh]

Here's a link to the British Bee Keepers' Association

http://www.britishbee.org.uk/

[yola]

There is a PDF available about beekeeping and allotments but it's only accessible by members :(

[Kazz]

I love bee's my Mom has said her Great Grandad used to keep them she said, he'd always tell them the bee's of births and deaths and weddings in the family......My Mom recalls him giving the bee's cake when there was a family wedding. And wine/sherry/christmas cake when Christmas.He used to knock on the hive "she thinks with the door key" if there was a death in the family too. And say something like "Bee's, Bee's, bee's your Master's brother is dead" She also says that he would not let anyone shout or argue around the bee hives....as it upset them and they may then abandon the hives although he said The bee's enjoyed the childrens laughter and anyone who sang by the hives was welcomed.He often spent his time up at the hives singing hymns and my Mom said he died when she was about 7 her grandad told the bee's of his death and when the new beekeeper a friend of his came to collect them...the bee's were gone all of them.....yet when her Dad my grandad said he would have taken the hives....they walked out to the garden (which would now be classed as a small holding)which was in rural kidderminster.....the bee's were back at the hive no one knew where they had been or when they came back. And Mom recalls the bee's staying in the field near their home till the war when the bee's were evactuated back to the small holding. He also told her bee's could not be brought for money only a gold coin... however they could be got from loaning them out or bartering the or as a gift.

[Elaine]

Awww, I loved reading that Kazz, thanx for sharing with us xxx

[dinahsmum]

That's lovely bee folklore Kazz.
Remember the bees in the TV adaptation of Larrrkrise to Candleforrrd (how I loved that, so sweet and gentle - the worst thing to happen was the loss of a parrrrcel. Well, not quite) and how they were agitated at the old boy's (Strider? What was his name) illness.

[yola]

Great story Karen! I have heard much about the mysterious properties of bee-keeping . . . there is something of a magic about it. I would personally be scared to have them on an allotment, especially here where we do suffer from plagues of chavs who have no respect for such things and could do damage to a hive/bees.

[Elaine]

I am loving the idea of bee keeping more and more but wouldnt be able to have them here, sadly. Maybe one day...

[Kazz]

I think I would like to keep bee's to but they need a horizontal take off area they need a largish flat area around them to take off. They are not the most areodynamic of flyers.

[Kazz]

I know you can be loaned bee's by established bee keepers....they just "keep their hives" on your ground/garden. they manage the hives.

I know the honey is dependant on what floers are around for the bee's to use....ie if you have lavender fields the honey is different, take on the taste of the orginal food source.

[Mags]

Loved your story Kazz :D

I always have a jar or bottle of 'runny' honey in my cupboard, both myself and OH love it. I use it in cakes, puddings, on bread and for medicinal purposes .....

[angieh]

Wonderful story Kazz - honey bees are nature's miracle workers - hope something can be done to redress their decline.

[yola]

I use runny honey in lots of things, including bolognaise sauces, salad dressings and to glaze veggies.

I tend not to use it on toast as it ends up running all over my hands (I have rye-bread toast which doesn't absorb to the same extent), so prefer the set clover honey for toast or sarnies.

That's interesting about the loaning of hives and bees. I really will read up on it some more when I don't have a small boy trying to throw himself down stairs or stuff cats up chimneys (yes, really :shock: )

[dandysmom]

Kazz, we have that bit here also about "telling the bees". Presume it was brought over by the English settlers in the Colonial days. I'm quite allergic to bee stings (not really bad like anaphylactic shock) and had to go to the ER last time I was stung many years ago! So I tend to avoid them, although sadly there are fewer around now due to the vanishing ...